BMW i8 or Tesla Model S - The better electric car

Gone are the days when electric vehicles were supposed to be the future. The segment has developed rapidly and today there is a large number (when compared to the past) electric vehicles running on the roads. And whenever we think of electric vehicles the first name that automatically pops up in our minds is Tesla.

Tesla really turned the game in favor of electric vehicles. It has been on the market for quite some time now. And one of its popular and successful products that you can buy right now is the Tesla Model S.

While the Model S has got its own pros and cons, it is the BMW i8 that has been a favorite of quite a few enthusiasts across the globe. It is a hybrid sports car which delivers what it promises, exhilarating performance. So which one is the better, the BMW i8 or the Tesla Model S? Let us find out.

Powertrain and performance

Being a petrol-electric hybrid sports car, the BMW i8 has got two powertrains to propel it forward. One is an electric motor with a 7.1 kWh battery that is connected to a 129 hp motor, and the other one is a 1.5-litre 3-cylinder petrol engine that produces 357 bhp of power and 570 Nm of torque. The electric motor, of course, has a limited range of about 60 km when driven at 120 kmph. These two powertrains allow the i8 to do a sprint of 0-60 mph (96.5 kmph) in just 4.2 seconds.

The Tesla Model S, on the other hand, is the car of the future now available in the present. It is an all-electric car. It does not have to deal with the conventional petrol engines. It has a large battery pack. A total of 530 bhp is extracted out from the two electric motors. But that is not the most amazing part of being a pure electric car; the 966 Nm of torque is, and that too from the word go. This enables the Model S to cover the 0-60 mph (96.5 kmph) run in a blistering 2.5 seconds, which puts the BMW i8 and even many other high-performance sports cars to shame.

Interior features

It is quite understandable that after spending this amount of money you are going to get a well equipped and luxurious interior. The i8, being a German, offers top-notch fit and finish with the use of a high-quality material. You also get the conventional gear lever. To keep things interesting, BMW even uses the speakers of the car to play engine noise when the car is being driven enthusiastically.

In the Tesla, you are greeted by a large touchscreen tablet that sits in the center console. It is responsible for displaying a ton of information and also for changing almost all the settings of the car. The overall experience of operating such a system is very immersive and futuristic.

Interior space

You will find a couple of seats at the rear of the BMW i8, but they are just for the kids or, perhaps, to store things when you go on your shopping spree because the boot is practically useless.

In the Tesla, since there is no engine and the battery pack is located on the floor of the car, you get a good amount of space in the interior. There are proper seats at the rear as well to accommodate real people comfortably.

Practicality

The fact that the BMW i8 has got a petrol engine is a bit of a relief as you are not dependent on the electric motor completely and can fill up the gas tank and continue your journey without a fuss, which you can’t do in a Tesla.

Yes, Tesla is working on increasing the total number of charging stations, but still, they are not enough. You are totally dependent on the battery power you have which decides how many more miles can you clock up at the odometer which depends on various other factors.

Verdict

To be honest, comparing the BMW i8 with the Tesla Model S is not fair. Both are different vehicles. The Tesla is an all-electric car whereas the i8 is a petrol-electric hybrid. This really makes a lot of difference. Both the cars are pretty unique and astonishing in some or the other way.

The BMW i8 is a sports car with the traits of its petrol siblings in the catalog. It looks amazing, performs great, and has a petrol engine to switch to. On the other hand, the Tesla Model S disguises itself as a family sedan but it can give many high-performance sports cars out there a run for their money. It has got enough juice to kill them all. It can also act like a family car when needed as it has got enough space to be declared as one.

In the end, it comes down to personal preferences as to which one you want, but if we are talking about pure electric cars, then the Tesla Model S wins the game here.